Sniper
by Lyaksandra
Summary: She never was the most proficient in the use of weapons, but in the midst of battle you either learn and act, or you die.


**SNIPER**

Everything was a blur before my eyes. The heavy dust that clouded everything and the awfully persistent ringing in my ears were dragging my mind further into a groggy haze. It was not unlike being under water. The muffled sounds, the quickly shifting lights and the horrible loss of the notion about where was up or down.

The one sound that was even remotely clear was the voice drilling the same word again and again into my ears.

"Garrus!"

"Garrus!"

"Come in, Garrus!"

I shook my head trying in vain to clear my thoughts, then looked around trying to find Garrus. It was hard even trying to focus my mind into the task, and what I now recognized as Shepard's frantic voice over the comm link was making things worse. There was nothing I could see in all the dust and rubble. The artillery shot from that Ravager did catch us almost squarely. Were it not for Garrus' swift reaction in getting us both out of the way, we would probably be dead. I really was hoping he was not dead.

There! My eyes finally caught a glint behind the cloud of dust. Before even attempting to move, I frantically rubbed the visor of my helmet in order to verify it was not a trick of the light. It was not. There, a few meters ahead of me, partially buried under a pile of broken concrete was the body of my Turian friend. He was not moving at all, and a pit immediately formed in the bottom of my stomach. Oh Goddess, let him be alive.

Desperation fueling my stiff and pained limbs, I began crawling as fast as possible toward him. As I did so, my eyes scanned from side to side, desperately hoping not to see any reapers come near us. I must have seemed like a crazed animal, grunting along the ground, wild eyes dancing all over the place.

As soon as I placed my hand on his neck and began searching for a pulse, he gently covered it with his.

"Liara." He coughed and looked directly into my eyes.

"Are you alright, Garrus?" My voice was trembling, words clipped by a sudden urge of shedding tears. Relief and fear drowning every other thought.

"I'm fine." He coughed again while trying to laugh. Always trying to downplay the problems, always trying to ease everyone else's burden.

I tried to say something, but he cut me off by squeezing my hand hard. Pain shot up my arm and I was immediately silenced, suddenly too aware of the intensity in his eyes. Garrus was always good at reading people, and he must have sensed my fear and hesitation.

"Liara, you have to help Shepard."

Unable to think straight just yet, I merely limited myself to a dumb nod. I was making my utmost to rein my scattered thoughts, but judging by Garrus' reaction it obviously was not enough.

"Liara! Grab my rifle, and help Shepard!" He nodded toward some place behind him.

"Yes, of course." I replied without really putting any thought into my words. I felt Garrus relax, and then he let go of my hand, which I immediately cradled against my chest to ease the pain.

After what felt like an eternity, but could have been no more than a minute, I finally spotted the black silhouette of the weapon. Kneeling there amongst clouds of dust, scattered rubble, and a fallen comrade, my thoughts remained jumbled and I simply stared at it. Only until Shepard's booming voice came over the comm link was I able to finally regain a measure of reason. The desperation and resignation in her voice were so obvious that even I could detect them. She was telling me how Garrus had just reported he was out for the count, and the rest of the team was being pinned down under heavy fire. That I had to fall back and attempt to contact the Normandy for emergency air support.

When had Garrus talked over the comm? Such had been my state of mind that their chat simply went past my numbed hearing. However, now I was more aware of what was happening around me, and in particular of what Shepard was asking of me. If they were pinned down by the reaper hordes infesting this forsaken rock, she was practically ordering me to allow some of the crew members to die while I ran away and cried for help. I of course understood the reasoning behind this. Having lost long range support, the better option was to take some casualties in order to save the majority of us. However, in the time it would take me to run back to the shuttle and contact the Normandy, everyone could die.

It was a very real possibility and I was having none of that. I was not the timid archeologist girl I was when Shepard picked me up on Therum. No, ever since the beginning this war had demanded people to adapt, to change. Just as my mother had prided herself for being a forward thinker, I did too. I could not allow myself to be that girl anymore, I had to mold myself to the circumstances, and do it fast. There was no time to go at it like the Asari usually did, overthinking everything, and still ending up with the same mistakes in their hands as every other race out there. Biting back the uncertainty, the fear, the tears, I clenched my teeth hard and made a run for Garrus' Black Widow. The galaxy be damned, I was not going to run away while my friends died down there in that miserable valley.

A bit of my uncertainty returned once I felt the weight of the rifle in my hands. What was I supposed to do with this enormous hunk of metal? I had somehow managed to become proficient with some of the small arms after lots and lots of practice. Even if most of my combat skills had been forged in the fires of field practice, I was not a trained soldier. To attempt and use a sniper rifle, one of the most complex weapons out there, one that only specially trained people among specially trained people could effectively use. It was preposterous! And it also was my only choice. I hugged the thing against my chest and ran back toward the top of the hill. On my way back I thought I saw a smile on Garrus' face but I could not be sure, and I certainly did not have the time to stop and ascertain it.

Finding a good _nest_, as Garrus called it, was the easy part. I merely had to copy what he had done when we arrived. Find a spot where you can be comfortable, with good cover, and with an ample view of the valley below. With so many ruined buildings, I found a good place almost immediately. Quickly and almost automatically I tested different positions I had seen Garrus take, and found that sitting was best for me. I took a deep breath, gulped, and then pressed the button that extended the rifle into its full form.

If I was scared before, nothing could have prepared me for what I saw once I looked down that scope. Everyone was completely surrounded by Reapers and with nothing to serve as cover but the crumbling walls of a small, decrepit building. The first thing I spotted was the lack of adequate cover in one of the stairwells. Tali and James were so busy with their desperate attempt at maintaining a semblance of control over all the enemies in the adjacent building, that they barely had any time to check on the stairs from time to time. This obvious weakness had not been overlooked by the Reapers. For a moment, breathing became a secondary concern as I saw a squad of Marauders crossing the street and aiming their steps toward that damned staircase.

With barely contained panic I tried to summon into my mind the sniping lessons I had received from Garrus. What was it that he said was paramount in order to achieve success? If only I had been paying more attention instead of fantasizing about Shepard and the Prothean beacon! My left hand went to my forehead involuntarily, as if it would somehow aid me in pulling those memories from the dark recesses of my memory. Stupid child! All those years obsessing over the _oh so noble _Protheans, just for them to turn out being despots and oppressors. I shook my head, having to make the conscious effort to stopping my mind from wandering. I had to focus. What had Garrus said? I could only remember it being tantamount to making the difference between a hit or a miss.

Unable to recall the memory, I instead chose to take another peek through the rifle's scope. What an enormous mistake that was. The squad of Marauders was already reaching the floor below Tali and James. My heard sank to my stomach and I immediately felt ill. What had Garrus said?! Desperation took hold of me and breathing became difficult. I could already feel the effects of hyperventilation setting in. Relax and breathe, Liara. Relax and breathe. That pattern became the foundation of my whole thought process as I tried to recall my lessons.

That was it. What an inattentive idiot I had been! The first lesson was to breathe. Deep, controlled breaths. I closed my eyes and tried with all my will to bring my breathing under control and slow my heart, which seemed ready to just jump out of my chest.

Once it seemed as if my breathing was measured and my heart slowed down, I took another peek through the scope. A new wave of desperation immediately hit me as I saw the Marauders getting prepared to breach the makeshift barricade that stood between them and my squad mates. By the Goddess! Tali was right there on top of the stairs! If only she were to turn around. Why does she not turn around? Stupid Tali! Forcing down the fear and focusing my mind on inhaling and exhaling, I quickly took aim and pulled the trigger hoping for the best.

Only one time in my entire life had I been forced to fend off a Krogan in close quarters, and the recoil of the Black Widow was quite possibly on par with those bestial attacks. How Garrus managed to use it so nonchalantly was beyond me. Not only had the damned thing almost dislodged my arm from its socket, but it had also pushed me against the wall behind so hard, that it felt as if I had slipped and fallen flat on the ground. As I struggled to refill my lungs with air, I took another peek down the scope. My shot had hit who knows where, but the Marauders had stopped their advance and seemed wary. They were stealing cautious glances around the corner, and crouching to take cover. Good, that meant I at least had placed my shot somewhere in their close proximity. Now, if only I could recall what had been the second lesson Garrus had taught me, maybe next time I could actually hit something I intended.

This time the memories came easier. Perhaps because I was already associating the principles behind the whole philosophy and creating a pattern in my mind. Sniping was all about control. I could remember Garrus mentioning that your worst enemy when sniping was impatience. It was easy to grow desperate when observing the battle from the outside, so many ideas about what those down there should do, but you had to detach yourself from all that. The work of the sniper was to provide a measure of control on the battlefield. Always observe and act with patience. Even the trigger had to be pulled slowly. And so, after the concept began taking shape in my head, I looked down the scope once again. Confidently, I mentally repeated Garrus' words as if they were a life-sustaining mantra. Once and again I repeated them, until I could almost hear the characteristic drawl and flange of his voice inside my head.

Breathe.

Relax.

Analyze the situation.

Spot your target.

Take aim.

Inhale.

Exhale.

And just about mid breath… Squeeze the trigger!

The Marauder I had been aiming for was partially hidden behind a wall, for all the good that did him. If there was one fact I never forgot about the Widow rifles, was that they were capable of penetrating nearly any kind of armor, even that of vehicles. Therefore, it was with a steadily growing sense of pride and satisfaction that I saw the abomination collapse unceremoniously to the ground, a gaping hole in its chest.

I opened the comm link in my helmet as I scanned the vicinity of the building where everyone was holed up. "Tali, James. You have bogies coming up the staircase in the second floor. Take care of that while I suppress the ones in the adjacent building."

"Liara, what the hell are you doing? I told you to fall back to the shuttle!" Shepard's voice came over the comm loud and angry, but I could not afford to be startled. I had to remain focused.

"You know very well what would happen if I did that, Shepard. So I am doing what you would do. I am going to protect the lives of the people I care for."

She made no other comment on that subject, and without missing another moment, she began barking orders.


End file.
